Astrological Profile: Amy Coney Barrett, the Anti-Ginsburg

On Saturday, 26 September 2020, Donald J. Trump announced his third pick for the US Supreme Court, to replace recently deceased Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg:  Judge Amy Coney Barrett.  I have been expecting this pick for years, after researching possible candidates at the last vacancy. Her astrological bona fides for the job are unquestioned, though her judicial philosophy leaves much to be desired, from a progressive standpoint: she is a vocal opponent of reproductive rights, who has more than once opined that Roe v Wade was wrongly decided and should be overturned. Barrett’s appointment and likely confirmation cements a conservative 6-3 bloc on the High Court that could conceivably roll back freedoms on a wide variety of issues.

Born 28 January 1972 (no time available), Barrett’s eventual seating on the SCOTUS almost seems a foregone conclusion.  The Sun at 7 Aquarius conjoins asteroid Themis, named for the Greek goddess of justice, at 10 Aquarius, while asteroid Barrett at 24 Aquarius conjoins asteroid Justitia, Themis’ Roman counterpart, at 20 Aquarius, giving Amy Coney Barrett two very powerful personal connections to her new job title. 

Justitia/Barrett also squares Saturn at 29 Taurus, ruling career, while the Sun is broadly trined.  This further reinforces the sense that a SCOTUS seat is on her work resume.  Saturn’s close inconjunct to Jupiter at 28 Sagittarius opens a path to work in the judiciary generally, for which there is again a strong personal pull, with asteroid Amy at 3 Capricorn conjoined Jupiter. 

And who might open that final door to the country’s top judicial post?  Why, Donald Trump, as celestially foretold in the form of asteroid Troemper, also conjunct both Amy and Jupiter from 8 Capricorn!   When I saw this combination in the wake of Justice Kennedy’s retirement in 2018, I was convinced Barrett would take the palm.  I was wrong then, but as Trump himself would say (about COVID-19 “just going away”), “eventually I’ll be proven right,” and Barrett’s time has come.  Amy cojoined Troemper also suggests a willingness to fulfill the President’s agenda, that the two are of one opinion on judicial matters (Jupiter).

But before we look at the cosmic circumstance of her judicial elevation, what does the chart tell us about her judicial philosophy?  With an Aquarian Sun, one might expect a progressive, liberal outlook, but remember:  Saturn is the ancient ruler of the Sign, and Aquarians can be as reactionary as the next Saturnine.  Barrett’s thinking is governed by Mercury, and that rests comfortably in conservative Capricorn, at the 24^th degree.  Adding emphasis for conservatism is its trine to Saturn, and forceful conviction is conferred by an out-of-Sign trine to Pluto at 1 Libra. As well, Saturn is embedded at station, about to turn direct three days after her birth, so conservatism is deeply entrenched and rooted in Barrett’s core.

But Mercury also exactly conjoins asteroid Icarus – Barrett can be a risk-taker, prone to following her own path against sage advice, willing to push the envelope even if disaster looms.  Amy exactly conjunct asteroid Eros says she’s a passionate advocate for her beliefs (as well as indicating passion of another sort, with seven children, though two are adopted and not Eros’ doing per se).  Amy/Eros squared asteroid NOT at 6 Libra (also conjoined Pluto) says two things – first, Barrett (Amy) can be a bit of a contrarian (NOT), and a hard-ass (Pluto) to boot.  Second, she’s opposed (NOT) to illicit or scandalous (both Pluto) expressions of passion (Eros), which she feels should be tightly controlled (Pluto).  Hence the conservative stance on abortion – if you call the tune, you have to pay the piper.  No free rides for Barrett – if you do the crime (unprotected sex) you have to do the time (unwanted pregnancy).

So that’s Barrett’s take in a nutshell, but what about her judicial temperament specifically?  Themis and the Sun conjunct asteroid Achilles at 11 Aquarius says she sees herself (Sun) as a warrior (Achilles) for justice (Themis), though within this there is also the seed of an inherent flaw, vulnerability or weakness that could produce her downfall (all Achilles).  Not to be outdone, Justitia conjoins Damocles at 19 Aquarius, that sword of doom hanging overhead, about to descend at any moment.  Barrett’s future judicial rulings (Justitia) could feel like that, a looming peril (Damocles) threatening others, based in her personal philosophy (Barrett).

The horsehair suspending that Sword of Damocles seems to be thinnest above the issue of reproductive rights.  With TNO Quaoar at 3 Scorpio conjoined an exact pairing of asteroid Child with TNO Ixion at 6 Scorpio, all squared the Sun, Barrett takes the issue of abortion (Quaoar has been linked to reproduction and abortion) very personally (Sun), and sees it as infanticide (exact combo of Ixion, noted as the first murderer in Greek myth, with asteroid Child).  With such views, there can be no compromise.

The importance of Barrett’s SCOTUS tenure for the lifespan of Roe v Wade may be assessed by the central placement of asteroids Roe and Wade in her birth chart.  With Roe at 26 Sagittarius conjoined Jupiter at 28 Sag, ruling the judiciary generally and the SCOTUS specifically, opposed Wade at 23 Gemini, this is an issue that is never far from Barrett’s legal mind.  Pandora with Roe/Jupiter at 25 Sagittarius and asteroid Requiem, named for the funeral mass for the dead, in T-Square from 27 Virgo (backed up by Pluto’s force and conviction) says that Barrett will willingly open the Pandora’s Box (Pandora) of Roe v Wade’s termination (Requiem).  With TNO Deucalion also here, at 22 Virgo, Barrett sees Roe as a predominantly moral issue, one which she must face with righteousness and fervor, a lone figure standing up to the flood of moral corruption engulfing the planet (Deucalion’s myth is the prototype of the Biblical Noah story, of a solitary upright individual spared from the deluge).

The Affordable Care Act, more popularly known as Obamacare, may also be under Damocles’ sword when Barrett takes her seat.  Although Chief Justice John Roberts has so far broken with his conservative colleagues and sided with progressives in 5-4 rulings on cases relating to the ACA’s constitutionality, thus preserving the health coverage for millions of Americans, he will no longer be a swing vote determining the outcome.  Barrett represents a solid 5-4 majority in favor of overturning the Act, however Roberts may rule, and a new case relating to its legality is being heard in December, just after Barrett joins the Court. 

Barrett’s Sun is conjoined by asteroid Asclepius at 5 Aquarius, named for the Greek god of healing, trined by NOT, indicating healthcare as a central component of Barrett’s core identity (Sun), and a propensity to support (trine) its denial or negation (NOT).  As well, asteroid Amy is on the fulcrum of a T-Square with NOT opposing centaur Chiron at 10 Aries, another health-related body, reinforcing the chance that she will be personally (Amy) responsible for withdrawing (NOT) health coverage (Chiron).  Chiron’s conjunction with TNO Eris at 11 Aries suggest this will be a decision engendering much strife and discord.

Amy Coney Barrett has been described as the polar opposite of the fellow three-named Justice she is replacing, Ruth Bader Ginsburg.  As hard as Ginsburg fought for reproductive, women’s and minority rights, Barrett will fight against them.  We can see this polarity in the chart, with asteroid Ginsburg at 9 Leo closely opposed the Sun/Themis combination at 7 and 10 Aquarius, suggesting polar opposites, and perspectives as disparate as possible.  Asteroid Ruth at 26 Aries, prophetically, conjoins natal Mars at 21 Aries and asteroid Whitehouse at 27 Aries, prefiguring the confirmation battle (Mars) initiated by the administration (Whitehouse) over filling Ginsburg’s seat (Ruth).

The timing of Barrett’s nomination is, as in all things celestial, perfection itself.

When Donald Trump announced he had chosen Amy Coney Barrett at 5:05 PM EDT in Washington, DC on September 26, the Ascendant at 21 Aquarius conjoined Barrett’s natal Justitia/Barrett conjunction at 20 and 24 Aquarius, with transit Themis at 21 Scorpio in the Ninth House of the judiciary and exactly squared the Horizontal Axis.  Hugging the Ascendant from 24 Aquarius is transit Damocles, exact with natal Barrett, a potent reminder of the threat posed by her nomination. 

The MC at 7 Sagittarius conjoined transit asteroid Barrett at 2 Sagittarius, which opposed transit asteroid Troemper at 3 Gemini on the IC, linking nominator and nominee across the spine of the chart, with Barrett the focus of all ayes on the Midheaven.  Adding visibility is Barrett’s sextile to the 4 Libra Sun, with Troemper in trine; it was her time to shine.

Most dramatic of all, asteroid Amy at 8 Aquarius, which was embedded at its station, having turned direct five days prior, was conjoined by the transit Moon at 7 Aquarius.  And that Moon was exactly on Barrett’s natal Sun, with both Moon and Barrett also conjoined natal Themis at 10 Aquarius!  Moon/Barrett opposed transit Justitia at 13 Leo, just moving out of orb with Venus at 23 Leo, a conjunction which had been in full force a week earlier, at Ginsburg’s death.  Both Moon and Venus interacting with Justitia signaled a female Justice, one deceased, and her replacement.

The transit Sun at 4 Libra had just conjoined Barrett’s natal Pluto a few days previous, and was trining her natal Sun, emphasizing the increase in her personal power, with transit Troemper still within orb f natal Saturn at 29 Taurus, highlighting the President’s intervention in her career arc.  Transit Mercury at 29 Libra conjoined asteroid Whitehouse at 2 Scorpio, for the formal announcement (Mercury) from the White House grounds (Whitehouse).

Donald Trump, who has already appointed almost a quarter of the federal judiciary in his first term (due to Mitch McConnell’s refusal to confirm any federal judges during the last two years of Obama’s time in office), has now appointed fully a third of the US Supreme Court.  We’ll be living with his legacy for decades, the legacy of a man roundly rejected by voters in 2016, when he lost the contest by almost three million votes—a man who is attempting to steal a second term, when he will undoubtedly have more seats to fill.

Alex Miller

Alex Miller is a professional writer and astrologer, whose website AlexAsteroidAstrology.com offers a trove of info on the role of asteroids in personal and mundane astrology. He is the author of The Black Hole Book (available on Amazon.com) and The Urban Wicca, former editor of “The Galactic Calendar,” and past president of The Philadelphia Astrological Society. His pioneering work with Black Holes in astrological interpretation began in 1991, when his progressed Sun unwittingly fell into one. Alex’s books and writings are available on his website. Alex can also be reached for comment or services at .